I Am Your Shield
by Pax Moony
Summary: Aegis frets over the return of his SoulWeaver. Spoilers for Book 3. Slight Aegis x Adventurer fluff. A short oneshot.


_Hello everybody! I'm new to yet another fandom, I suppose, as far as writing fictions go. I've been playing the game for years though. I decided maybe it would be fun to place a story in the middle of Lore, especially with a little fluff…. Nothing too fluffy, though, this _**is**_ Lore after all. I blame Aegis for this. I have too much love for him. I was very disappointed to find that he and the other Elemental Embodiments / SoulAllies were not in the character filter. They seem to have a lot of important characters missing from that list, actually…_

_Anyway, this story takes place in Book 3, so __**there are some spoilers**__. If you want to keep the gameplay a surprise, and you haven't finished Book 2 yet, perhaps you shouldn't read this.. It ties in with the beginning of the third book, The End of Magic._

_Well, I hope that's enough of a spoiler disclaimer for you. If you don't read the Author's Notes on stories, that's your problem ;P_

_Anyway, enjoy, friends! Aegis x Adventurer A very. VERY. Short. Oneshot._

_~Moony_

Xxx

Aegis. That's my name, and my purpose. I'm a shield, I'm a weapon; but I wasn't enough. I wasn't enough to do keep her safe and protect her. Despite the fact that I was powerful, I wasn't strong enough to stop the magic from taking her captive in ice, nor was I strong enough to make the ice fade.

I guess I shouldn't blame this on myself. After all, even Warlic and Konnan had been trapped inside the ice. Still, they thawed before she did, and left without a trace that they'd ever even been there. I would often visit her up on the hill, and her dragon would accompany me. That little thing was incredibly persistent. He had tried just about everything to 'hatch' her, as he called it. He'd sat upon the great block of ice for weeks, breathing fire on it, breaking it open with sharp objects, _singing to it_, though I don't know where he got that idea.

My time up on the cliff with her was incredibly one-sided. I would nap against the ice that contained her and hoped that maybe, just maybe, I'd be there to see her thaw. My poor SoulWeaver spent years inside the ice, and I spent years awaiting for her to awaken, waiting, hoping that perhaps there was something that I could do.

After long, I began to notice changes in myself. The longer she spent inside the ice, the stronger I became, and so I guess I could say it was for my benefit, if I were selfish enough. But watching her motionless silhouette inside the ice, I knew better than to think that way. Often times, when I would try to free her, the dragon guarding the ice would throw tantrums and fits, pushing me away, attacking me with all its might. I was angry, and insulted, but I eventually gave in. It was obvious that I wasn't going to free her, no matter how hard I tried. Instead, I left a promise with her, that I would wait for her to thaw, and we would weave together as we once had.

Seven years passed.

I watched people grow old, witnessed the blossoming of emotions and love among humans, saw people change. I observed heartbreak and despair, and everything in between. I remained behind my icy façade. I felt nothing but worry for _my_ SoulWeaver, the only thing I'd ever worried about since my untimely death. What an irrational fear it was, too, the fear that she wouldn't be released from that deadly prison.

My fears and worries began to melt into a bitter anger. I watched her friends, Tomix and Riadne, confess their feelings for each other. They'd promised themselves to one another, and I couldn't help but feel a little resentful. While my hero wasted away inside a block of ice, her two friends were busy having their fun. Perhaps if things hadn't been so serious, I wouldn't have had such a strange friction with them. However, with Envy running rampant—and his affects befalling me, I'm sure—and my SoulWeaver trapped, it was only natural for me to be angry. I missed her so dearly.

I watched children grow into fine young men, the ArchKnight Ash, in particular. He'd started out so young, and though noble, a bit of a third wheel. He had tagged along with SoulWeaver in hopes that some of her teachings would give him the experience he needed to become a well-trained knight, and I'd had a chance to see him in battle. Though he wasn't especially impressive, he did have potential. All of that potential had been unveiled as he grew in her absence. She would have been proud to see him grow into such a sturdy young man and worthy knight.

The world changed, everything was spinning in too many directions to bear. Before long, I wasn't allowed to visit my SoulWeaver, a ravenous crew called The Rose preventing me from leaving the walls of Ravenloss and Falconreach without an escort. The bizarre new cult had a strong distaste for magic and all who used it, including the creatures in nature that depended on magic, such as me. This new order drove many mad, and even more into a frenzied rebellion beneath the beautifully paved streets of Falconreach. As their power rose, the crueler they became, treating humans and creatures alike with disrespect, and abusing their power. To bring peace and order to the world was their goal, they said, and that magic would only bring harm to the people of Lore. It was rumored that they were full of hypocrisy, that they used magic in their quests to destroy it. I hoped more and more each day that my hero would come to the rescue and stop all of this nonsense. I would be at her side and see it through to the end, I promised myself.

I began to lose hope for Lore when the Rose took Swordhaven.

But finally, the day has arrived, and my hero has returned to Ravenloss; or so I've heard. The news has traveled from each excited refugee to the next, that my hero is among us, and that she is well, safe, healthy. I have to admit, I'm a little bit hurt that she hasn't come to see me right away. After all that we've been through and the bond that we've created together, the years and memories we share, she couldn't have hurried herself a little more to see me. But she must be dazed, confused, unsure of her surroundings. Everything has changed. This is a brand new world.

I'm on my way to Pellow Village as I speak to you now, the road into the void shimmering beneath my feet. I'm anxious. So anxious. _Why am I so anxious_? I haven't seen her in so long, that's all. That has to be it. I've never felt this nervousness before around her. It's not the way one normally would feel when awaiting to greet an old friend home. I'll just brush it off, and do as I always do. Play smartass. Play up to the cold façade that suits me so.

As I near the Greedling's tree, I can't help but feel a bit weak. I need to stop feeling this way. My SoulWeaver is home, and that's enough for me. Just to see her healthy and well, and so young compared to all of her friends who have aged, grown old, grown weary. The energy of my hero will surpass that of any rebel, any rogue, anybody in this fight for liberty. I can't help but swell with pride at that.

I reach out to touch the last of the ice that's melting from the bark of the tree that we've shared so many memories under, the warm glow of its golden leaves returning and lighting the area once more. This is the most important thing, the rejoining of two old friends. Friends. Friends? No, partners. Soulmates.

My expression falls from a smile to a distressed frown as I hear the sound of her thick, leather boots upon cobblestone streets. I still have time to prepare myself for this meeting; she's still far enough away for me to find my cool. I close my eyes and grip the tree for stability, my lucky charm weaving through my fingers. I just have to stay cool.

I can hear her drawing nearer. I only wish that my nerves wouldn't treat me this way; that my façade would return to me when she did, that I might face her without fear. What is this fear bubbling up all of a sudden? There's nothing to fear, here. Shouldn't I be overjoyed by her return?

I'm jarred from my thoughts as the footsteps stop, and her shadow folds upon me. I don't dare to look up right away, still holding to our tree for a sense of stability. There is a long, piercing silence between the two of us, and neither of us seems brave enough to break it. Until she does.

"Aegis?" she calls, voice soft, though behind a slightly guarded tone. I swallow a deep breath and raise my head, trying to pace myself. I close my eyes and try to compose myself, my wishes failing me as I slowly, slowly turn around to face her. The moment I see her pretty young face, all of the hurt, all of the anger, all of the bitterness that I felt before suddenly vanishes, and I'm left with nothing but pride, joy, oh, an overwhelming sense of joy. Before either of us can blink, all defenses are dropped, along with our weapons, and we rush to meet each other in a tight embrace. I bury my face in long, dark hair, and close my eyes.

Finally, my SoulWeaver, my partner is home. I'll never let her leave me again.


End file.
